VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It was a day of delays as truck drivers clogged up the port on Highway 17 in Delta and at one in Downtown Vancouver to voice their concerns about delays.  

Many say they have to wait for hours to drop off shipments.
    
Peter Xotta with Metro Vancouver says it is up to each port to keep things moving smoothly.  “We can understand there is a high level of frustration but the numbers we talk about are $200 million worth of cargo every day moving through the port.  So you can imagine the disruption of that at even one of our terminals for eight hours or 12 hours.”
    
He adds they are in talks with the BC Trucking Association to hammer out some new rules.  “You’ll hear about, in the Port Strategy coming forward, there will be maximum standard turn times set that the terminals must meet and the consequence of not meeting it is financial penalties.”
    
Xotta explains despite the uproar there is a silver lining.  “We continue to grow this gateway and that’s good news.  It drives a lot of economic benefit including truck drivers.  We’ve got frustrations as we grow, we’ve got to go through those bumps, but it’s really a positive story for us as we continue to move forward.”